Continuing King’s Work: A Core Jewish Value
by Rabbi Ron Stern
“It is not your responsibility to finish the work,
but you can never refrain from doing it.”
I first heard these words in a song when I was a camper in the Pocono Mountains. It was years later that I fully understood their context in the ancient Rabbinic Compendium called Pirkei Avot. In a far simpler world, speaking to a far smaller audience, our sages recognized that the task of fixing that which is broken in the world is the responsibility of all. There is no person alive who can abstain, because quite simply, all our labors are essential.
Today, the scope of the challenges facing us is exponentially more daunting. Our awareness of the work that calls to us extends beyond our neighborhoods, into our cities, our country, and our world. The information we receive daily reminds us of the immensity of the tasks, and yet, the resolve of these ancient words rings true: we must be agents of change. That was a core Jewish value 2,000 years ago and it remains one today.
Monday, January 16th is Martin Luther King’s Birthday. No human being in our generation more fully exemplified this Jewish principle. He challenged this country to change what most thought could not be changed and he reminded every American of their sacred duty to establish a nation with true equality for all.
And yet, the work is not yet finished: Poverty still shackles too many Americans. Los Angeles has the shameful distinction of being the homeless capital of the nation. Our country is divided in ways not seen in decades. The climate hurtles toward catastrophic disequilibrium. Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) is literally what must we must do.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become a day of service, reminding all of us of our responsibility to do the work that is needed in this world. As one small gesture and an important beginning, we invite you to join with the Big Sunday Organization’s clothing drive for the needy. We are proud to be their partners as we all work together to (in a paraphrase of King’s words) “bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice.”
Web: bit.ly/DrKingBirthday
